This was very much the fishing episode of Negaposi Angler, even by its standards. None of the character stuff made much of an appearance, really (including the MacGuffin). This is nominally a fishing show of course. But this was a good test of its ability to make that an interesting topic, as there was nothing else to prop it up. If you’re already interested in fishing of course it’s a different equation. But I can’t imagine that’s a huge part of the audience (though what do I know, and this is a nation of islands after all).

The exception to this was Fujishiro-san. He’s the last great mystery among the Everymart cast. I was hoping we’d get a real expose on him here, but it was mostly just elevated rumors and gossip of the sort young people traffic in where guys like him are concerned. His seiyuu (Sugawara Masashi, a veteran from way back) doing the narration was a clue to the one actual reveal about him. But we still don’t know much about Fushishiro-san except that he’s really good at fishing and extremely short. And that he has the dosh to lay out for a new camper.

As for the fishing, it’s mostly concerned with sappa – Japanese sardinella. I don’t know anything about the difference between a sardine and a sardinella (or a shad, for that matter). I’ve never eaten it either, that I remember at least. But it strikes the gear-obsessed noob Hiro as rather lame as a target. It’s unglamorous and smelly chum fishing, all for a pretty tiny potential cash. His head is turned by lures the and the big catch he can reel in with his two-months rent tackle, and heads off to the pier to go after sea bass while the others (including Fujishiro) have smaller fish to (eventually) fry.

Fujishiro narrates Hiro’s story as all this plays out, in what I can only call fourth-wall breaking. Hiro is the classic neophyte brimming with enthusiasm and lack of know-how (even I knew about the birds being a sign of bait fish and the whoppers that hunt them). With Hana’s help he does eventually hook a big (seemingly very big) one. But it’s the one that got away, as often happens with big fish. Chalk it up to a learning experience (like losing a ¥1600 lure by not tying it tightly enough).

In the end, Hiro learns that small bite fishing has charms all its own. The others are clearly having a blast hauling in the tiddlers, so why shouldn’t he? He also learns that Fujishiro is the narrator for the “Fish Dreamer” fishing show they all watch, which explains where he gets his money but not why Hiro seems to be the only one who’s noticed. It’s a nice soft-pedaled philosophical lesson here, very consistent with Hiro’s character arc with these oddball fishing otaku. Those casting for bigger narrative fish will have to wait another week, but there’s nothing wrong with hauling in the small ones sometimes too.